Friday Food Fun

Oh, what a beautiful day! The sun is shining, and it's going to get up to 70 degrees! What a beautiful gift from God. A little teaser for spring. Fortunately, this has been a fairly mild winter, but I think I've been slammed with spring fever! The birds are chirping and making their nests in our vents ... AGAIN ... the rabbits are out in full force frolicking around and pooping all over our yard ... it really makes my little dog curious, all these new animally smells around her, and she looses track of time and instead of taking 5-10 minutes to do her business, it takes her 20-25! I, personally, think she's got A.D.D., but who knows? Other animals traipsing through "her" yard can be somewhat of a bother to her. Oh, and some of those little bulby flower thingies are starting to pop up!!! What's not to love?!? Yes, my friends... Spring Is In The Air!

On another note, I heard this song on the way in to work, and I love it soooo much. I just wanted to share it with you... and ask that you take it as a personal challenge for this weekend.

Lifesong (by Casting Crowns)

Empty hands held high. Such small sacrifice. If not joined with my life, I sing in vain tonight. May the words I say, and the things I do, make my lifesong sing, bring a smile to You ...

Let my lifesong sing to You; Let my lifesong sing to You; I wanna sign Your name at the end of this day, knowing that my heart was true; Let my lifesong sing to You.

Lord I give my life, a living sacrifice, to reach a world in need, to be Your hands and feet. So may the words I say, and the things I do, make my lifesong sing, bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You; Let my lifesong sing to You; I wanna sign Your name at the end of this day, knowing that my heart was true; Let my lifesong sing to You.

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Now, after yesterday's very un-wise choice of snacks on my behalf, I almost hesitate to publish this recipe ... but it is so lip-smackingly, chocolate-satisfyingly deeee-lish! I just have to share it with you. The cake is so easy to make, and the frosting even easier, but once the cake is put together, it is so pretty, that it will become a favorite for pot-lucks, house-warming gifts, Christmas gifts, etc. For example ... This past Christmas, I went to the dollar store, purchased some pretty glass plates (and some of the ingredients, too), and made this yummy cake as Christmas presents for my Pastor and his family, and some of our closer neighbors. Also, a friend of mine just bought a new home, and moved into it last week. I'm planning on getting one of those cool plates they sell at Target and giving her the plate and cake as a housewarming gift. How cool is it that you not only get a cake, but a cake plate, too?

Any way ... a couple of notes first... If you're not quite a cherry lover, don't worry. You can use raspberry or strawberry pie filling instead, but I promise ... you don't even notice the flavor of the cherries in the cake. Also, you really need to use the almond extract, and not substitute it with vanilla extract, although if there are allergy related issues, I'm sure vanilla would work just fine. So .... with out further delay ... here is Friday's Food Fun ...

Chocolate-Cherry Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 pkg Devil's Food cake mix (the pudding-in-the-mix kind)
Ingredients (eggs, water) needed for the cake mix (less the oil)
1 large can (16oz.) cherry pie filling
1/2 t Almond extract

Instructions:

Make the cake mix according to package directions, except omit the oil. Beat for two minutes. Add the cherry filling and almond extract. Beat for a few seconds to blend and to break up the cherries a bit. Pour cake mix into a greased and floured bundt pan (or rectangle pan) and bake according to the package directions.

Optional Decoration

Maraschino Cherries (large sized)
Milk Chocolate Bar

Instructions:

Remove about 8 cherries from the jar and place them on a paper towel to remove the extra juices.

Slightly melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring to complete the melting process. Partially dip each of the cherries in the milk chocolate so that the top part of the cherry is still showing through. Place the cherries evenly around the cake.

Dip a knife in the remaining chocolate and splatter/drizzle a thin line of milk chocolate around the top of the frosted and decorated cake. This is not a necessary step, but will provide a semi-professional and contrasting finishing-effect on the cake.

If I didn't loose you at the mention of Friday's Food Fun, and you try this recipe out, let me know how you liked it and how it turned out for you! I'll try to get a picture of it at some point so you can see what my finished product looked like.

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Don't forget ... May the words you say, and the things you do, make you lifesong sing, bring a smile to God!